roasted matchstick beets with coconut oil

If you’re looking for a nutrient dense, vitamin packed, vegan, naturally gluten-free topping to replace the standard old croutons for your next salad or soup, then you have to try these roasted matchstick beets. Yes, I said roasted matchstick beets (because they truly look like matchsticks)! They’re the cutest and simplest things to make, and add a pop of flavor and texture to any soup or salad. I’m all about adding in extra nutrition where I can, as well as showing you all simple recipes that incorporate seasonal produce. Hey, if we could all learn to eat seasonaly and locally, then we will not only be helping our bodies and our wallets, but our local farmers as well!

If you’re not a fan of beets, you might be after trying them roasted with coconut oil and sea salt. Roasting beets in coconut oil brings out their natural sweetness, and their earthy pungent flavor goes dormant, and come on, sea salt brings out the natural flavor in any fruit or vegetable and adds a pop of crunch to boot! These roasted beets are caramelized and a bit crunchy on the outside, and soft and tender on the inside. Delish! Zoe and Eli were not a fan of beets until I started roasting them in coconut oil, and now they will gobble them up.

These matchstick roasted beets are actually kind of addicting I must admit! I make them up all of the time, as they’re super easy and quick to boot (about 20 minutes from start to finish)! I love them topped on my beet, ginger and coconut soup!Toss them in a mixed green salad, and they add a bit of extra flavor, texture and a boost of nutrition. They also make a great guilt-free snack! I find myself eating them straight off the baking sheet all the time, amazingly good! Think of them as a beet chip in matchstick form!

Nutritional benefits of beets: Beets are high in immune-boosting vitamin C, fiber, and essential minerals like potassium (essential for healthy nerve and muscle function) and manganese (which is good for your bones, liver, kidneys, and pancreas). Beets also contain the B vitamin folate, which helps reduce the risk of birth defects. They’re great for the liver, as they stimulate the liver’s detoxifying processes. The pigment (betacyanin) in beets is a powerful anti-cancer fighting agent and that paired with the high fiber content of beets help protect against colon cancer. They’re also rich in carotenoids, which may help boot brain functioning and stave off depression.

So, with all that being said, why not pick up a beet and give this roasting technique a try!

roasted matchstick beets with coconut oil:

Note: Double or triple the below quantities if you want to roast up more beets!

1 medium or large red beet, peeled and sliced into matchstick slices – I’ll show you how to slice the beets in the below post.

Slice off the root tip and shoot tip of the beet, and peel it using a vegetable peeler.

Slice the beet into 1/4-inch planks.Take the planks and slice them into roughly 1/4-inch matchsticks. In a small bowl toss matchstick sliced beets with the melted coconut oil (just enough to coat the beets) and sea salt.

Lift the beets out of the bowl and arrange them on the parchment lined baking sheet.

Roast the beets until they’re soft, slightly caramelized, and starting to get crispy, about 12-15 minutes. Keep an eye on them at the 12 minute mark because they can go from slightly crispy to burnt pretty quickly.

If you want them a bit crispier, keep them in for a few more minutes, but be sure to keep an eye on them, because as I said above, they can go from crisp to burnt pretty quickly.Want to get more beets in your diet, then try my beet, carrot, apple and ginger juice. You don’t even need a juicer to make this juice, as I show you in my post how to make it without one!

Slice off the root tip and shoot tip of the beet, and peel it using a vegetable peeler.

Slice the beet into ¼-inch planks.

Take the planks and slice them into roughly ¼-inch matchsticks.

In a small bowl toss matchstick sliced beets with the melted coconut oil (just enough to coat the beets) and sea salt.

Lift the beets out of the bowl and arrange them on the parchment lined baking sheet.

Roast the beets until they’re soft, slightly caramelized, and starting to get crispy, about 12-15 minutes. Keep an eye on them at the 12 minute mark because they can go from slightly crispy to burnt pretty quickly.If you want them a bit crispier, keep them in for a few more minutes, but be sure to keep an eye on them, because as I just said, they can go from crisp to burnt pretty quickly.

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Comments

These were super good! I don’t think I sliced them thinly enough, because only the smallest ones had the crispness I wanted, and I had to cook them twice as long as you suggested. But I definitely want to try making them again! Also, I used butter because I prefer the taste to coconut oil. 🙂

Hi Marin mama! I have to say that I LOVE this recipe. I made it up today since I had 2 lonely beets sitting on my counter. My kids and hubby even devoured the beets, so you’re right that they’re pretty much family approved! The kids thought the matchstick beets were pretty cool looking! I’m going to save some for a salad I’m making tonight.

Oh, when are you going to post that hempseed and hemp oil dressing that you showed on Instagram last week? I’ve been waiting for that recipe! Cheers! Rachel!